Wednesday, February 16 2005 17:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: With air traffic from India projected to go up "substantially", the Government would soon hold talks with France, Germany, Hong Kong and China to enhance the bilateral air traffic rights in line with what has been agreed upon with the US and the UK. "Along with the limited 'open sky' policy, we will be liberalising our bilaterals like we have done with the US and the UK. We will be holding talks with France, Germany, Hong Kong and mainland China in this regard soon," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said at an international conference on building of airports at New Delhi.

Such arrangements would also be worked out with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) nations, with whom agreements to open up the skies have already been signed, he said.

In the past few months, India has signed liberal bilaterals with UK and US. While there is an unlimited open sky agreement with the former, the bilaterals have been doubled to 40 flights a week with the latter, with India allowing private carriers, Jet Airways and Air Sahara, to operate to London and Gatwick.

Speaking on the development of aviation infrastructure in the country, the Minister said development of Airports had not been paid attention to in the last five decades.

Pointing out that India had a large middle-class population, which could be a major market for the aviation industry, he said if only 30 per cent of the Indians decided to travel by air, it would be more than the entire population of the US and Western Europe.

"There is no choice but to build up aviation infrastructure in the country and that too very soon," the Minister said, adding that the full potential of the industry could be realised only if the growth in aviation infrastructure was commensurate with that of air travel.

The government had plans to develop 30 non-metro airports in the shortest possible time; the Airport Authority of India (AAI) would develop these Airports in partnership with the private sector, Patel said.

"People ask me where will the money come from. Even for these 30 Airports which are functional, we will invite public- private partnership for the city or the aero side," he said, adding a "new direction" and emphasis was being given on this aspect as well.

In addition, there are about 80-odd Airports, which are non-operational, and efforts were being made to make them functional, he said.

Besides the modernisation of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore Airports, those at Kolkata and Chennai would also be developed, "Definitely in the same way as Mumbai and Delhi", Patel said. "Combination of private and public participation is the real challenge for all concerned to work in sync," he added.